Page 8 of Summer with a Brother's Best Friend
“Nope.” I pop thepfor emphasis. “Not even close.”
“Wow,” she says with a low whistle, and I nod solemnly.
What good would it do to sleep with Isaac, have repeated, mind-blowing sex, and then leave knowing it would never be like that again?
“We leave in a matter of weeks, Vee. Do you really think it would be worth it?”
“Yes,” she says without hesitation, something flickering in her gaze for only a second before it’s gone. I don’t mention it as we make our way to my car, nostalgia hitting me harder than I expected as I take in my hometown.
Love Beach looks different than I remember and yet exactly the same. I’d loved and hated being in a beach town growing up. The constant ebb and flow of tourists had been exciting, but I’d yearned for the quiet nights spent curled up with Isaac on the beach next to a bonfire.
“So, florist?” Vienna asks when we’re tucking inside my car with the AC blasting, her question pulling me from my runaway thoughts.
“Yeah, but we’ll have to go to the next town over. We still don’t have one here.”
Her eyes light up and she nods, forcing me to stare at her for a beat longer before shaking my head and putting the car in drive. I want to push her, but now’s not the time. I just hope she knows I’m here when she’s ready.
Turning up the music, I nod and sing along to the Descending North song blasting through the speakers and find Vienna doing the same.
No sense in worrying about it now. We’ll have the rest of the summer to make the hard choices. I just hope they don’t leave me heartbroken.
6
ISAAC
Walking over to the door, I flip the sign from closed to open and then turn to the bar with a smile. “All right, let’s start the day!”
Vienna rolls her eyes, grumbling, “I’m already sick of this song,” as she cues up “Cheeseburger in Paradise” by Jimmy Buffet.
“Blasphemy,” I say with mock horror as Reece giggles and wipes down another glass. “Seriously, this is what sets us apart—what starts us on the right footandpays tribute to one of the greatest musicians to grace the state of South Carolina.”
Vienna blinks. “There is seriously something wrong with you.”
“What? This is a classic,” I say, doubling down with enthusiasm.
“Garth Brooks is a classic.”
“And he’s always welcome at Love Beach Brews,”—I point to the beach paraphernalia hung on the walls and the classichere for a good timevibe—“but salt water runs in our veins and sunshine is our caffeine.”
“That’s a metaphor. That’s not actually real,” Reece stage-whispers, earning my glare.
“Pretty sure you’d be dead with the salt water though,” Vienna adds helpfully, her dark, wavy hair pulled up into a ponytail as her green eyes sparkle.
I huff, but there’s no real heat behind it. Reece has always pushed my buttons, so it makes sense bringing her best friend here with her would exponentially increase the sass thrown my way.
I definitely don’t hate it.
Already, the two of them had pulled in more tips during the weekday lunch rush than I had myself on a Friday night. I’m sure absolutely none of their middle school students learned anything with the two of them in the front of the class.
If I’m honest, I’ve had more than a few fantasies about Reece putting me in detention. With her dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, I’ve always been a goner for her. My heart lurches with the memory of how things ended between us, how I had to hide how much her leaving destroyed me.
But I’d promised Maddox—we both had—and until she showed up this summer, making Love Beach her temporary home again, I’d been able to keep that promise.
Loving her was easy.
It was her leaving that gutted me like a fish on the pier.
Still, my blood ran hot with every flirty smile Reece sent my way, every brush of her hand against mine, the way she bent over the bar giving me a peek down the front of her tank top with the Love Beach Brews logo on it.
